The present invention relates to the preparation of coffee drinks, and particularly to the method for making coffee-based drinks.
According to such a method, coffee is made by means of a so-called espresso method using hot water, high pressure and a short boiling time, from fine coffee powder that is ground up from dark roasted coffee beans. Very strong coffee is thus obtained, which can be called a concentrate because of its small amount of water and high content of coffee.
A good taste and the easiness of preparation constitute the basis for the commercial use of coffee. The most difficult task is to make and preserve large amounts of good coffee. In the Nordic Countries, the most familiar way to make coffee is by boiling or filtering so as to make a drink that is easy to enjoy even in larger amounts at a time. In contrast, generally stronger coffee of the espresso type is consumed in the Mediterranean.
For large-scale consumption, coffee is made into a container or separate containers that are used to serve the coffee. The coffee is made either by manual or automatic percolators. Such coffee makers require a lot of space and it is difficult to maintain the quality of the coffee. These percolators are only made to serve so-called filtered coffee.
In the industry, coffee is also made into a concentrate that is packed and frozen in disposable packages (bib), and thawed and placed into special distribution devices before use, wherein some concentrate is mixed with hot water and served as coffee. Coffee is also made of an instant powder, i.e., instant coffee powder, by mixing it with hot water. Instant coffee powder is manufactured industrially by removing water from filtered coffee.
Publication WO A1 01/74211 discloses a solution for making coffee. The coffee is made by mixing water and coffee concentrate that is made in advance by another device. Espresso is also made merely by means of treating with steam, coffee that is stored in advance.
Publications WO A1 02/01993, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,470,999 and 3,641,918 also disclose a solution, wherein a coffee drink is made of a prefabricated product. The product that is made into a drink can be freeze-dried, ordinary instant coffee powder or a liquid concentrate, which either has been stored or is stored in a cold place or is frozen. The concentrate can also be prepared in advance by another device either by filtering or boiling.
The known technology involves considerable drawbacks. In industrial processes, coffee is first made and then cooled after the process, until heated again in dispensers. Thus, the coffee concentrate is prepared and served by means of separate devices. Heating ready-made coffee is the surest way to spoil its taste and aroma, and reheated coffee cannot compete with the aromas of freshly-made coffee.
At the moment, separate coffee makers are needed to make so-called ordinary coffee and espresso-based types of coffee, which are also called specialty coffees. On the market, there are some combined coffee makers, which can be used to make both filtered coffee and espresso but, in practice, these devices are combinations of two coffee makers intended for small-scale use, combining two cookers within one case. The greatest disadvantage of also these cookers is that they can only make one cup of espresso-based coffee at a time.
Espresso-based coffees and the specialty coffees that are made on the basis of espresso coffee are made at the moment they are served; they cannot be preserved, and the larger the amounts of specialty coffee that are to be made at one time, the more effective and expensive manufacturing devices are needed
At present, when large amounts of both ordinary coffee and specialty coffee are made, at least two different coffee makers are needed and more space should be reserved for them; besides, also the investment costs are higher. By means of current devices, only one cup of specialty coffee can be made at a time, therefore, to make large volumes, several cookers are needed, the manufacture is time-consuming, thus slowing down the process of serving specialty coffee.
The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the disadvantages of the known technology and to provide a new solution for the preparation of coffee drinks.